U.S. President Donald Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "short and fat" in a tit-for-tat move, a senior White House adviser said Sunday. Trump tweeted Saturday that Kim had insulted him by calling him "old," "when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat.'" "I think that was the president just responding the way he does to somebody who insulted him first," White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said in an interview on ABC.

S. Korea picks up team sprint bronze at Speed Skating World Cup

South Korea picked up a bronze to wrap up the season-opening World Cup event in the Netherlands. The trio of Kim Min-sun, Kim Hyun-yung and Park Seung-hi teamed up for the third-place finish in the women's team sprint at the first International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Speed Skating of the season in Heerenveen, Netherlands, on Sunday (local time). At 1:28.111, South Korea lost to Norway by 0.001 second, while Russia took the gold in 1:26.62.

Dongbu Daewoo's mini washers sold out during China's shopping festival

Local household appliances company Dongbu Daewoo Electronics said Monday it sold 32,000 of its wall-mounted mini washing machines in China during the Singles' Day shopping festival. The washers sold out in 17 hours through Chinese online shopping malls including JD.com, suning.com and T-mall, meaning an average of 31 units were sold every minute, company officials said. This represents about five times average monthly sales, they said.

Union at LG household & Healthcare to end strike

A labor union at LG Household & Healthcare said it decided on Friday to end its strike over the salary increase issue on the 52nd day of the walkout.

Around 400 union members have set up tents outside the company's headquarters in downtown Seoul since Sept. 23, following the start of the strike on Sept. 20. The union and the management have held 19 rounds of negotiations during the subsequent period to find a compromise but have not made any progress, officials from the two sides said.

The leaders of South Korea and China on Saturday reaffirmed their joint efforts to peacefully resolve North Korea's nuclear problem in a summit highlighting the recent normalization of bilateral ties estranged by the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.

The leaders "shared the view on the need to stably manage the current security condition on the Korean Peninsula in relation to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and agreed to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue," Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said of the meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Moon Jae-in arrived in the Philippines on Sunday for meetings with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN). On Monday, Moon will participate in the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and deliver a speech on ways to improve relations between South Korea and the ASEAN. In the speech, Moon will unveil his visions and plans for South Korea and the association to build a people-oriented community. He will then attend a meeting with the heads of ASEAN countries to discuss cooperation in various fields.

Moon Says 'People First' is Common Philosophy of S. Korea, ASEAN

President Moon Jae-in says that South Korea and Southeast Asian nations have a common philosophy of "people first" and he will work to advance bilateral relations while placing a high priority on the “people.” The president on Monday unveiled his visions for a people-centered Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) community in his contribution to Project Syndicate, a U.S. site carrying op-ed commentaries by global leaders and thinkers.

S. Korea Likely to Hit Record High Share in Global Exports This Year

South Korea is expected to take up a record high share in global exports this year. The Institute for International Trade, a research center of the Korea International Trade Association, said on Sunday in its report that Korean exports accounted for three-point-33 percent of global exports in the first half of this year. The report said that this year, South Korea is on track to exceed the existing record ratio of three-point-19 percent, set in 2015.

Three U.S. aircraft carriers joined an ongoing exercise with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea on Sunday in an unprecedented show of force against a provocative North Korea. The three flattops -- USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt -- entered the South's military operation zone, called the Korea Theater of Operations (KTO), for the four-day maneuvers slated to end Tuesday. It marks the first time that the country's Navy has conducted a combined training with three U.S. aircraft carriers.

Three U.S. aircraft carriers enter S.Korea in joint show-of-force drills

Three U.S. aircraft carriers joined an ongoing exercise with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea on Sunday in an unprecedented show of force against a provocative North Korea. The three flattops -- USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt -- entered the operational area, called the Korea Theater of Operations (KTO), for the four-day maneuvers slated to end Tuesday. The KTO is an area that the commander of the South Korea-U.S. combined forces is to zone off for military operations in case of a contingency. It can also involve open seas.

It marks the first time that three U.S. aircraft carriers have joined together at close range for a joint exercise with South Korea, officials said.

Hyundai’s sales in China show signs of recovery

Hyundai Motor Group's sales in China continued to show signs of recovery last month from the fallout from political tensions between the two countries over the deployment of a U.S. missile system in South Korea. In October, Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp., which together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales, said they sold a combined 122,521 vehicles in China, down 23 percent from a year earlier. Their sales results remain weak, but the pace of decline has significantly decelerated given that their overall sales plunged 52 percent to 430,947 units in the first half of this year from 808,359 a year ago. antimissile system.

In response to North Korea calling him an “old lunatic,” Donald Trump said Sunday that he would never call North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “short and fat,” in the latest exchange of taunts between the US president and the rogue regime. “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’” Trump said in a tweet from Hanoi.

The leaders of South Korea and China on Saturday reaffirmed joint efforts to peacefully resolve North Korea’s nuclear threat, highlighting the recent normalization of bilateral ties estranged by the deployment of a US missile defense system in South Korea. At a summit, the leaders “shared the view on the need to stably manage the current security condition on the Korean Peninsula in relation to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and agreed to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue,” Seoul’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said of the meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ex-President Lee blasts probe into alleged political meddling during his term

Former President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday blasted the prosecutorial probe into the alleged political meddling of the National Intelligence Service during his term, saying the investigation is driven by old grudges of the liberal administration now in power. Before boarding a plan for Bahrain at Incheon Airport, Lee told the media that the liberal Moon Jae-in government’s push for a probe into the alleged wrongdoings of past governments is nothing but “political retaliation” under the disguise of eliminating accumulated evils.

President Moon Jae-in arrived in Manila, Sunday, for meetings with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this week. Moon attended a gala dinner marking the 50th anniversary of the association comprised of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Moon traveled to Manila after wrapping up a trip to the Vietnamese city of Danang for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting as well as bilateral talks with his Vietnamese and Chinese counterparts.

US carriers begin drills in East Sea

The South Korean Navy and three U.S. aircraft carriers and their strike groups began joint exercises in the East Sea, Sunday, in yet another show of force against North Korea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The rare drills involving the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt are designed to show the allies' overwhelming military power to better deter the North's nuclear and missile provocations, the JCS said.

Businesses bottoming out in China

Automakers, airlines, duty free shops and other businesses heavily dependent on China are welcoming improving Korea-Sino relations in recent weeks as the two sides work to get the soured ties back on track. Korean companies, which have been grappling with China's economic retaliation since March when Korea officially decided to deploy a U.S. anti-missile battery here, are expressing hopes that business will get better amid growing signs of a thaw in icy relations. Things began picking up after the two countries announced an agreement to normalize ties Oct. 31, with China's backlash against local firms diminishing over the past two weeks.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who is on his Asia tour, twitted on Sunday (local time) saying, “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’” “Oh well, I try so hard be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen!” he added. Despite all the sarcasm, it is assessed that Mr. Trump expressed his willingness to open a possibility for a dialogue. “President Xi of China has stated that he is upping the sanctions against N. Korea. Said he wants them to denuclearize.

Moon and Xi agree to strengthen talks on North Korea issue

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit meeting on Saturday (local time) in Da Nang, Vietnam, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and have decided to discuss the future-oriented development of the bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner through President Moon’s visit to China next month. This is a summit-level confirmation of the agreement released on Oct 31, in which the two governments agreed to restore their relations.

108 Korea-owned oil fields in U.S. shale gas mines

SK Plymouth, SK E&P America’s subsidiary, is currently producing 2,700 barrels of crude oil and gas a day in 108 oil fields across a 170-square-kilometer mine lot, the size of one fourth of Seoul City. Since the acquisition of the mine in 2014, SK has dug around 40 oil fields, among which only seven have been developed this year upon consideration of falling oil prices. “We are hoping that the oil price rises as a plunge in the oil price can lead to the disruption in production,” said Ken Edwards, the site manager of the company.

President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Saturday agreed to normalize ties frayed by the THAAD spat and meet again in Beijing next month. They reached the agreement on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam, according to Cheong Wa Dae. "The two leaders praised the Seoul-Beijing agreement of Oct. 31 to move beyond the bilateral spat over the THAAD deployment in Korea… and put bilateral exchanges and cooperation on the normal track in all areas," said presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan.

Moon Says Trump's Belligerent Talk Is Part of 'Role Sharing'

President Moon Jae-in suggested in a TV interview aired Thursday that his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump's belligerent talk about North Korea and Seoul's more cautious approach constitutes a kind of "role sharing" between the allies. Moon told Channel NewsAsia in Singapore last week that Trump sometimes makes hardline remarks with the purpose of putting pressure on North Korea, but he does not actually plan to carry out any military action.

Moon was replying to a question whether Trump's Twitter outbursts make it more difficult to work for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

N.Korea Denounces Trump's Asia Visit

North Korea Saturday denounced U.S. President Donald Trump's tour of South Korea, China and Japan as a "warmonger's visit" and "war merchant's junket." "On his first Asia tour since his inauguration, Trump has been roaming around us from Nov. 5," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement in the official [North] Korean Central News Agency.

He called the tour a "warmonger's visit aimed at depriving [the North] of its self-defensive nuclear deterrent power."

Political meddling, cultural blacklists, and BKK investigations are all catching up to the former president as investigations into political meddling by the military Cyber Command and the National Intelligence Service during the administration of former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pick up speed, the net appears to be closing around Lee.

Government to compensate companies engaged in inter-Korean economic cooperation

The Unification Ministry announced support for businesses that have suffered due to policy changes The South Korean government has decided to compensate the losses suffered by companies involved with the Kaesong Industrial Complex and other inter-Korean economic cooperation projects as the result of the suspension of economic cooperation between the two sides.

During a press conference held on the morning of Nov. 10 at the main government complex in Seoul, the Unification Ministry announced support measures for these companies.

North Korea may soon be redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism

The Trump administration is deliberating the issue as part of its overall NK strategy. The Trump administration continues toying with the idea of redesignating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism as a means of applying pressure. In addition to its large diplomatic symbolism, redesignation is also seen as likely to generate a backlash from North Korea, leading many to view it as a predictor for the administration’s future North Korea policy. When asked about the issue of North Korea’s redesignation as a state sponsor of terrorism while traveling from Hawaii to Japan on Nov. 4, Trump replied that a decision would come “very soon.”

President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to “normalize exchanges and cooperation in all areas” during their summit on Saturday in Da Nang, Vietnam, signaling a thaw in bilateral relations following the row over the deployment of an American antimissile system. The two leaders held their second summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting, both expressing the need to manage the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and for the North Korean nuclear issue to ultimately be resolved through dialogue, according to the Blue House.

Local markets up 12% in 6 months

The bullish global market since the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration has propelled the Kospi and Kosdaq up by more than 12 percent, according to the Korea Exchange and Korea Financial Investment Association on Sunday. The main Kospi has risen 12.02 percent from May 10, when Moon was inaugurated, to 2,542.95 on Nov. 10. The secondary Kosdaq advanced 12.15 percent from 642.68 to 720.79 over the same period. The combined market capitalization for the two bourses totaled 1,905.24 trillion won ($1.69 trillion) as of Friday, up 12.92 percent from six months earlier.

FTC set to give up exclusive right to file cases

Korea’s antitrust watchdog said Sunday that it will give up its exclusive right to file complaints against retail and franchise firms for fair trade violations in a move to better empower individuals and civic groups. Under the present Fair Trade Act, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is the only entity that can bring a fair trade case to court through the state prosecutors’ office. The law is aimed at preventing a flood of lawsuits being filed against firms by individuals and civic groups, which the business community claims could hurt normal operations.

Cooperation with ASEAN Countries as a Community of People, Peace and Mutual Prosperity

On November 9, President Moon Jae-in announced his plans for a new "southern policy" as part of an effort to diversify South Korea's foreign relations and seek balance. The new southern policy is the counterpart of the "new northern policy" that President Moon presented during his trip to Vladivostok, Russia last September, and it aims to increase cooperation with ASEAN countries to break away from South Korea's geo-political position, which is excessively dependent on the U.S. and China.

No Good to the Korean Peninsula: Keeping a Distance from U.S. and Japanese Efforts to Keep China in Check

President Moon Jae-in reserved from answering U.S. President Donald Trump's request for South Korea to join his "Indo-Pacific initiative" as an expression of his decision not to join the U.S. and Japan-led efforts to keep China in check. This goes in line with what he told the foreign press during an interview: a military alliance among the three countries South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are not desirable."

President Moon's Carefully Planned “Contact”Strategy

President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump were scheduled to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by helicopter on the morning of November 8, but plans were canceled due to heavy fog. Although the two men were not able to make the trip together, the trip was one of President Moon's efforts to increase casual contact with President Trump. On November 7, President Moon visited Camp Humphreys and received President Trump at the U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, an unexpected gesture, and this is also seen as an effort to increase contact with Trump.

AsKorea and China are set to improve their relationship that was rocked by thecontroversy over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballisticmissile system, Korea's tourism and duty-free shopping industries are raisingtheir hopes of better days. Thetourism industry believes that the Chinese government's group tour ban to Koreawould be relaxed soon. A travel agency in Hebei posted an Internet ad recentlyfor a group tour program to Korea in November at the price of 1,480 yuan(US$223).

Gov't Decides to Give $8 Mil. Aid to North Korea...Timing to Be Announced Later

The government has decided to give support to North Korea worth US$8 million in programs helping its vulnerable people including children and pregnant women indirectly through international organizations. It, however, has not decided when to start sending money and exactly how. This is interpreted as a choice to deflect criticism that it is undertaking an aid project at a time when North Korea is causing an international storm by launching a series of missile tests.

Oil Refiners See Good Times ahead due to Rising Oil Prices

International oil prices have hit a record high in seven months as they went up over US$50 a barrel. The domestic oil refining sector raised its hopes of improving their profitability in the third quarter after suffering poor results for two consecutive quarters. The spot price for Dubai crude as compiled by the Korea National Oil Corp. was $53.64 a barrel on September 16, up by 7 cents from the previous day. This is the highest level since February this year when the figure was $54.39.

South Korean firms doing business in North Korea will receive state financial support in compensation for losses caused by the suspension of cross-border trade and exchanges, but government officials cautioned against any political misinterpretation. The primary beneficiary will be about 120 firms which were kicked out of an inter-Korean industrial zone in the North's border city of Kaesong when Seoul shut it down in February last year in retaliation for its ballistic missile and nuclear tests. The South's unification ministry in charge of cross-border affairs said the firms with factories in Kaesong would get a total of 66 billion won (59 million US dollars) in fresh compensation. They have already received 517.3 billion won.

Three U.S. flattops ready for rare joint drill this week near peninsula

In a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, three American aircraft carriers, backed nuclear submarines and destroyers, will conduct a rare joint drill this week near the Korean peninsula, following a Northeast Asia trip by U.S. President Donald Trump. This would be the first sea drill involving three American flattops together near the Korean peninsula, the South's defense ministry said, adding South Korea plans to mobilize warships for the exercise in waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula.

Trump slams N. Korea as 'hell', urges global efforts to isolate it

U.S. President Donald Trump stepped up his rhetoric against North Korea, slammed it as a "hell", and warned that its push for the development of nuclear weapons and missiles would put the regime "in great danger". Speaking at South Korea's parliament, Trump urged every nation, and even China and Russia, to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions and sever trade and other ties with North Korea to isolate the brutal regime. "It is our responsibility and our duty to confront this danger together," he said. "Because the longer we wait, the greater the danger grows and the fewer the options become," he said before leaving for China.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit China next month for his third summit with President Xi Jinping to discuss the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the North Korean nuclear threat. The two leaders made the announcement after meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam on Saturday (local time). Moon and Xi agreed on the need to manage the tensions in a stable manner and find a diplomatic way to solve the North Korean crisis. They also agreed to quickly normalize bilateral exchanges in all sectors, officially reaffirming their commitment last month to end the year-long standoff over the deployment of a U.S. antimissile system in Korea.

Korea’s FTC mulls easing law to allow anyone to file complaint against firms

The South Korean antitrust body is seeking to revise the law to allow anyone to file charges against franchises, retailers and agencies and to impose tougher punitive measures on antitrust behavior. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in a report released on Sunday called for phasing out its exclusive right to file a complaint on trade violations, starting with the three sectors of franchises, retailers and agencies.

Hyundai Merchant Marine narrows loss in Q3 on brisk container sales

South Korea’s leading container carrier Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. significantly narrowed operating loss in the third quarter from a year ago thanks to brisk sales in its container shipping business, which helped to offset a rise in fuel prices. Hyundai Merchant Marine said in a regulatory filing on Friday that it posted an operating loss of 29.5 billion won ($26.3 million) on a consolidated basis for the July-September period, reducing loss by a whopping 200.8 billion won from 230.3 billion won a year ago.